HAUTAMAKI_020

A gravel road dusted with snow stretches between Puerto Natales and National Park Torres del Paine. The individuals who work with livestock in the region often spend long, grueling days in the saddle and an increasing number of cowboys and ranch hands are taking jobs in the service and tourism sectors as money is often quicker and easier to acquire. However, this tension between past customs and present realities draws to attention the future of cattle and sheep ranching in Southern Chile. Tourism is the “new gold” as non-local investors purchase land not for the utilitarian purpose of raising livestock, but for the aesthetic beauty and potential for tourism activities. This trend raises important questions about how, and if, the particular knowledge, and traditional skills of Patagonia will be carried forward in future generations.